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I wanted to flush my transmission oil so I called a local Nissan shop here in NJ. I told the guy over the phone that I wanted them to flush oil plus change transmission filter plus change the gasket, he quoted me $300. When I went there and right before I let them take over my car I told them I wanted the old oil filter and the old gasket back. he started mumbling that this car (versa 2009 1.8L) might not have a filter, and if it does it might be permanent and not replaceable, he also said that there is a drain plug and that in order to flush they don't need to take the pan down. Anyways, I was surprised how they conduct business, he quoted me for oil, a new gasket and a filter but ended up replacing only oil.

Versa is my first car which I bought used in 2018, I've owned motorcycles since I was 17 (I am 35 now). In motorcycle shops it's bad but not this bad... I guess because everything is in the open and you can see right away whats been done and replaced. My advice is always ask for the old parts just to make sure that they actually replaced them.

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1st, unless you have over 60,000 on the car you shouldn't be doing anything to the trans. You do have an engine oil filter, it's gasket it attached to the filter permanently. The filter is the standard spin on cannister. If the guy didn't know this basic information I sure would NOT let them do anything to my car.

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FYI, some few trans designs DO have trans filters that only can be gotten to with a complete case breakdown.

The mech wanted to not remove the pan, that can be because many pans glue on now (no gasket on them at all) and then re-gluing makes them leak like hell to get complaints with every one you do. Can't blame him for that. The original glue job happened with trans upside down and easy to get to and most importantly BONE DRY at the sealing surface. One should try to re-glue up a pan with trans oil dripping all over the place, then you'll know what I'm talking about. Guaranteed leaks everywhere and then customer comes unglued next. Hah, hah.

The filters don't need changing in the vast majority of the cars anyway, and never did. Customers were trained very carefully to think they needed it though (corporate brainwashing) and we are the lemmings there. ATX filters really catch very little for most of their lives, at least until the trans begins to come apart, then they get used bigtime. Until then they will only have a few specks of matter in them. They NEVER clog unless the trans is already coming apart, and you will know it already by then. Or you better have.

On a Versa with drain plug, first be glad you got one. Second, USE it to flush and leave the filter alone.

The difference in trans type makes a big difference in price due to the fluid type used. $300 good for CVT, waaaayy too high if a standard type ATX there.

60K is really too long to run the fluid and I don't care what Nissan says, any company with transmissions going bad right and left right after the first fluid change like these do..........well, I am not going to listen there. I'd be looking at 30 or 40 to change it instead. For sure if a standard ATX, the fluid is burning by then. I changed my standard ATX fluid last year (36K miles or so) with Ford fluid and works fine, saved money doing it too. Nissan fluid is too expensive. You really got no other choice though on CVT and locked into Nissan fluid there.

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60K is really too long to run the fluid and I don't care what Nissan says, any company with transmissions going bad right and left right after the first fluid change like these do..........well, I am not going to listen there. I'd be looking at 30 or 40 to change it instead. For sure if a standard ATX, the fluid is burning by then. I changed my standard ATX fluid last year (36K miles or so) with Ford fluid and works fine, saved money doing it too. Nissan fluid is too expensive. You really got no other choice though on CVT and locked into Nissan fluid there.

I have 90K on mine, I got it at 50k and I don't think the trans fluid was ever changed but I don't know.
I check the fluid regularly and it's still pinkish....do you think I should just leave it alone?

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Not looking close enough at the fluid. I have never seen a red dyed fluid go that long without degrading.

There is no pink, the fluid is red then goes orange then brown and dead then. I do not abuse my cars at all and the fluid is orange and beginning to brown at 50-60K miles if you leave it in that long. Synthetic at that which holds original color better.

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I looked at it many times...it's definitely not brown. When I clean the dipstick with a clean white cloth it's actually pinkish...maybe orangish? ok, but def not brown or darker than that.
Maybe it was changed before I bought the car...but I don't know for sure and I have no way of knowing it.

Anyway...would you service it or leave it like that? It's a 4 speed automatic

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FYI, some few trans designs DO have trans filters that only can be gotten to with a complete case breakdown.

The mech wanted to not remove the pan, that can be because many pans glue on now (no gasket on them at all) and then re-gluing makes them leak like hell to get complaints with every one you do. Can't blame him for that. The original glue job happened with trans upside down and easy to get to and most importantly BONE DRY at the sealing surface. One should try to re-glue up a pan with trans oil dripping all over the place, then you'll know what I'm talking about. Guaranteed leaks everywhere and then customer comes unglued next. Hah, hah.

The filters don't need changing in the vast majority of the cars anyway, and never did. Customers were trained very carefully to think they needed it though (corporate brainwashing) and we are the lemmings there. ATX filters really catch very little for most of their lives, at least until the trans begins to come apart, then they get used bigtime. Until then they will only have a few specks of matter in them. They NEVER clog unless the trans is already coming apart, and you will know it already by then. Or you better have.

On a Versa with drain plug, first be glad you got one. Second, USE it to flush and leave the filter alone.

The difference in trans type makes a big difference in price due to the fluid type used. $300 good for CVT, waaaayy too high if a standard type ATX there.

60K is really too long to run the fluid and I don't care what Nissan says, any company with transmissions going bad right and left right after the first fluid change like these do..........well, I am not going to listen there. I'd be looking at 30 or 40 to change it instead. For sure if a standard ATX, the fluid is burning by then. I changed my standard ATX fluid last year (36K miles or so) with Ford fluid and works fine, saved money doing it too. Nissan fluid is too expensive. You really got no other choice though on CVT and locked into Nissan fluid there.

Thanks for the great info in your post. I was too lazy to crawl under the car to check for the drain plug, I read on the internet that most versas don't have them... If I had known, I'd have done the labor myself. Nissan CVT tranny fluid is actually only around $150, which means they charged me twice the price for 15 minutes labor.
I bought the Versa with 92k miles and I don't know if the tranny fluid has ever been changed before, I didn't want to take the risk and decided to invest those $300 for the piece of mind.

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If that color I would not mess with it but based on YOUR words there. If 'pink' does it have air bubbles in it? Or could be coolant leaking into it, which would do the same and death lies there. Never seen pink ever unless something wrong with trans.

FYI, CVT fluid is either blue or blue-green in color but just like the red the makers are lowering cost by using less and less dye. Meaning it is getting harder and harder to see the color change as well as simply determining how much fluid is on the dipstick. It can be hell now, I don't bother doing it on other than a very sunny day to be able to see it clearly.

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If that color I would not mess with it but based on YOUR words there. If 'pink' does it have air bubbles in it? Or could be coolant leaking into it, which would do the same and death lies there. Never seen pink ever unless something wrong with trans.

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I usually wipe the dipstick off good first to remove any sediment from it then use a clean white napkin to lay the stick on where the oil is. The napkin or paper towel pretty quick shows any dark component of the fluid to tell you how much metal dust or sediment is in the fluid and the burning of it becomes easier to see too.

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And why I'm not seeing it........Java may have removed them but if a website has not changed their own software they could easily be still using (or trying to) them. I can think of one nationwide retail entity that hung onto them long enough (not wanting new software) to lose thousands in online business.

I used an app to read them for a long time after Firefox dropped them, and Firefox even now does not recognize all of them, just most. Java themselves hung onto them way too long and made things worse, updating to the latest java only made things worse for a while, now they have it sorted out it looks like.

I myself am limited to older Firefox version as of a year or so ago, the new virtual multithreading they use now will not work with my older CPU, it slows down about 80% using it. That may have something to do with it too.

I called my local dealer. And I asked them what it would cost to make the switch. I have a 2020 Versa S with the old school headlights. To make the switch I would upgrade the wiring harness under the hood. As well as buying the LED headlights. And labor. The cost ? At least $4,000. Most likely...

2009 Versa. 1.8L. Automatic.Sedan
There are 2 brackets under the car that are held on by 4 studs. I looked at several pages of schematics and could not find them. They look like they would probably be the same part number.
My grand daughter's car only has one of the brackets. One is behind...

I have a 2009 Versa hatchback with 142k miles and the transmission is starting to go out. I'm planning to do an auto to manual trans swap myself to save some money. Before anyone tells me to sell it to buy a newer car, my Versa is in no condition to sell, there are some other problems with it...

Here is a thread for just things you did to your Versa on any paticular day. Sometimes we don't feel like making a whole new thread but want to tell the community that I changed the oil, washed it, swapped on my summer wheels, did a tune up, installed a supercharger or whatever. Hopefully we can...